Chapter 539

It was a bit noisy.

That was the first thing I noticed as I took off my shoes at the engawa to head inside, having just dropped Miyuki off and returned from the Convenience Store with an armful of snacks.

Rattle.

As I slid the door open, the boisterous chatter died in an instant, and four pairs of eyes snapped toward me.

It felt as if I had crashed a girls-only conversation, my sudden appearance plunging the room into an awkward silence.

This was definitely my house, so why did it feel like I had stumbled into the wrong place?

"You're back?"

While I awkwardly averted my gaze, Miyuki rose from the futon to welcome me.

The other three quickly shifted their weight to follow suit. Scratching my head, I gave a small nod and answered her.

"Yeah. What were you all up to?"

"Just talking about this and that."

"About what?"

"Oh, you know. This and that."

"And what exactly does 'this and that' mean?"

"Just... things and stuff."

Hmm. There was no point in prying any further. I would just have to interrogate Renka about it later.

Of course, I didn't actually need to know every little detail of the heroines' conversations. Teasing Renka was just fun, so I was always looking for an excuse to mess with her.

Besides, she seemed to enjoy it when I treated her that way.

"Got it."

But why did Hiyori look so sulky again? Her nose was even scrunched up.

I wondered if Miyuki had provoked her by bragging about how long we had lived together.

Or maybe Miyuki was just acting perfectly at home, and Hiyori had grown jealous watching her wander around the place like she owned it.

Whatever it was, she would get over it soon enough.

Hiyori wasn't the type to hold a grudge over something so petty.

If anything, it would only make her approach me more aggressively.

"The hospitality here is terrible," Renka remarked.

I let Renka's jab go in one ear and out the other, flashing a grin at a wide-eyed Chinami before heading to the bathroom to wash my hands and feet.

Afterward, I squeezed my way back into the circle of four girls sitting on the futon.

Now that I looked at it, the futon was incredibly large.

I had definitely laid out my usual one before I left, but it seemed Miyuki had swapped it for a much larger size.

She really was thoughtful and considerate.

She always caught onto the little details I missed.

"Mm...!"

A sudden, soft gasp escaped Chinami's lips.

Realizing I had bumped my leg against her calf as she sat cross-legged, I quickly apologized.

"Sorry about that. Are you okay?"

"Y-Yes... I'm perfectly fine. Please don't worry about it."

It must have hurt, but she was still reassuring me with that warm, gentle voice of hers.

The way she spoke felt so much like a mother coaxing a child that it suddenly sparked an intense urge to taste her breast milk.

Before I got back, I had only planned on keeping things simple and watching a movie. But the unique, sweet scents of the four girls mingling together and tickling my nose sent all the blood rushing straight south.

I was getting hard. Insanely hard.

"W-Wait a minute...! You're thinking about something weird right now, aren't you!"

Hiyori asked, her voice full of tension after completely seeing through the shift in my expression.

I just shrugged and played dumb.

"Nope."

"Liar...! You're thinking about something dirty!"

"I told you I'm not."

"Liar...! It's written all over your face!"

She was too damn perceptive.

Our little Hiyori... I'd have to pull her aside later and teach her some restraint.

"Stop cooking up conspiracy theories. I bought you your favorite lemon-flavored Suichu, so just eat it."

"Okay."

Her face instantly lit up.

Seeing how quickly she jumped at the offer, it seemed Hiyori was just feeling a little out of place and wanted me to give her some attention.

I tossed her the long, stick-shaped package and asked a question.

"Did you find a sticker?"

"Yeah. Right here..."

Hiyori fumbled around under the blanket for a moment before handing me a tiny sticker.

It was a surprisingly cute lemon character with little arms and legs—an original design she seemed to have drawn herself.

I let out a soft chuckle as I took it.

It wasn't actually a sticker; it was just a drawing cut out from a sticky note.

"This is incredibly cute."

"Right?"

"Yeah."

Seeing how proud she looked naturally put a smile on my face.

The only problem was that I couldn't exactly stick a piece of paper onto my Cell Phone like this.

After a moment's thought, I popped off my Cell Phone case, placed the sticky note inside, and snapped the case back on.

"There, it's attached. Good enough?"

"Yeah, I love it."

Hiyori nodded as if she were doing me a great favor, her eyes briefly darting over to gauge Miyuki's reaction.

It was obvious she wanted to see her reaction. Honestly, it was nice to see that competitive spark still alive in her.

I'd have to make sure her competitiveness didn't spiral into an actual fight, but since I was confident I could keep it under control, I didn't see the need to worry about it.

"Alright, let's watch the movie."

I pulled a small table over next to the futon and set down the plastic bags full of snacks. At my cue, Miyuki snatched up the remote control like she'd been waiting for it.

"What are we watching?"

It seemed she also preferred having a shared activity rather than just sitting around in silence.

Was it still too hard for them to shake off the awkwardness?

I suppose it couldn't be helped; the four of them rarely hung out all together like this.

Still, I knew they would warm up to each other soon enough, just like they had in the past.

Either way, given the current mood, I figured a complicated movie would be the best choice.

Something that would force the sharp-minded Miyuki and Chinami to lead a discussion seemed like the perfect icebreaker.

"A mystery movie."

"A mystery? Since when do you watch those? You always complained they made your head hurt."

"I figured I'd give one a shot."

"Really...? Alright then."

Miyuki shot me a strange look, as if questioning my sudden change in taste, but soon turned her attention to the movie list and began asking the others for their preferences.

I leaned back and settled in, a warm smile spreading across my face as I watched their colorful heads huddle together.

It was a genuinely heartwarming sight. No matter how badly I wanted to do dirty things to them right now, I decided to hold back and just watch the movie tonight.

I didn't want to ruin this wholesome atmosphere. Let's prioritize harmony for once.

Did watching that movie together actually help?

When we all piled into the car the following Monday morning to head to the Academy, the atmosphere was significantly livelier than the week before.

"What brand of makeup do you use, sunbae-nim?"

"I use skincare products from Momo-sama."

"They make cosmetics too?"

"Of course they do. They've been out for a little while now. Shall I bring you some samples? Would you like to try them?"

"Yes, please! I'm really curious to try them."

Hiyori and Chinami were happily chatting away about cosmetics.

"That one scene was completely awful."

"Which scene?"

"The part where the main character just dies out of nowhere. What kind of genius solves all the hard puzzles only to get the easiest one wrong at the very end?"

"Ah... I have to agree with you on that."

"Right? I don't know who picked that movie, but they have terrible taste. Oh, I'm not talking about you, Hanazawa. You know that, right?"

Renka was clearly dissatisfied with the movie we'd watched and took the opportunity to take a thinly veiled shot at me, while Miyuki simply smiled brightly in response...

The four of them were gradually warming up to one another. It was a fantastic sign.

They were still addressing each other by their family names rather than their given names, but seeing the four of them getting along so well made the future look bright, and suddenly gave me an urge to commemorate the moment.

The route between Hiyori's house and the Academy passed right by my place, and as luck would have it, we were currently driving down the road right next to my house.

Since we still had plenty of time before classes started, I made a sudden detour.

"What...? Where are we going?"

Miyuki looked around in confusion as I abruptly turned the steering wheel.

I drove to my house in silence, parked right in front of the Main Gate, and turned to the girls.

"Everybody out."

Renka stared at me in bewilderment.

"What is it...? Why are we stopping here?"

"I want to take a picture. Get out, head inside, and peek your heads over the wall."

"All of a sudden...? But why?"

"Just hurry. I really want to take one."

Did she sense the faint edge of excitement in my tone?

Renka, who normally would have grumbled, quietly stepped out of the car and led the way through the Main Gate.

She really did act like the mature eldest sister at times like this. I'd have to make sure to stamp a 'good job' seal on her ass later today.

Swallowing their questions, the other heroines followed Renka inside. Just as I'd instructed, four little heads soon peeked over the top of the wall.

"You're impossible, really..."

Miyuki muttered from the far right, shaking her head in exasperation.

Grinning at her remark, I pulled out my Cell Phone, turned it sideways, and started directing their poses.

"Master, give me a pretty smile."

"Umm... Like this?"

Chinami flashed a peace sign over the wall, her eyes going perfectly round.

The way the corners of her lips curled up only doubled her cuteness. I beamed back at her and replied.

"Perfect. As for the President... could you relax your face a bit?"

"What's wrong with my face...!"

"You look way too stiff."

"This is just how I look."

She always had to talk back and get on her master's nerves right when things were going smoothly.

The 'good job' seal on her ass was officially canceled. She was getting the whip instead.

"Fine, have it your way."

"Yeah."

I shifted my gaze past the sulking Renka, about to say something to the next person, when—

"Hey...! Move over a bit..."

Hiyori stood her ground, blatantly blocking Miyuki from shuffling any closer to the center.

"Move...! I said move...! Asahina, are you listening to me...!?"

"Ugh...!"

Hiyori didn't even bother answering, instead just groaning as she pushed back against Miyuki. Her absolute refusal to give up an inch of ground was honestly hilarious.

"Stop fighting and just stand still."

"Matsuda-kun...! She's... wh-what are you doing...!! Hey!"

Hiyori had literally pressed her cheek directly against Miyuki's, trying to physically shove her out of the frame. The look on Hiyori's face was nothing short of brazen.

Watching her, it just reaffirmed my belief that you had to be utterly shameless to get what you wanted in life.

The funny part was that Hiyori didn't even actually want anything; her competitive streak had just randomly flared up, and her only goal was to block and annoy Miyuki. But whatever, I'd let it slide.

If they kept going, we would be here arguing all day instead of taking a picture. Plus, I was starting to worry about Chinami's facial muscles holding that smile for so long, so I just went with it and framed the shot on my Cell Phone.

None of their expressions matched, but honestly, it made the scene look perfectly natural.

Thinking that, I prepared to snap the photo right down the middle without warning.

Right as my finger hovered over the button, Renka suddenly raised both hands above her head, her face completely deadpan.

She curled her fingers into little rabbit ears. My comment about her stiff pose must have actually bothered her.

I had to bite down hard on my lower lip to keep from bursting into laughter as I tapped the shutter button.

Click!

"Got it."

"What...? Already...?"

"Why didn't you give us a warning...!"

Seeing Miyuki and Hiyori looking completely devastated, I chuckled wickedly to myself and checked the photo.

It came out perfectly. It captured exactly what I wanted to see, and I couldn't have been more satisfied.

I immediately set it as my Cell Phone's wallpaper and flashed a toothy grin.

"Alright. Let's head out."

My voice was filled with a rare, overwhelming emotion that I almost never showed.

Hearing it, Miyuki and Hiyori instantly picked up on my mood. They stopped their squabbling and snapped their mouths shut.

Renka did the same. Without a single word of complaint, she obediently stepped back out through the Main Gate.

Step.

"Did it turn out well?"

Chinami had quietly tiptoed up right behind me, peering over my shoulder. As I tilted the screen to show her the picture—

"Me too...! Let me see...!"

Miyuki hurried over with an anxious expression, reaching out toward the screen, with Hiyori following close behind.

Their perfectly synchronized reactions drew a genuine smile to my lips. Instead of getting into the car, the four of them just huddled tightly around me, and as I looked at them, a single thought crossed my mind.

Just as I had always believed, from here on out, there was nothing left for us but happiness.

Of course, it wouldn't be completely smooth sailing.

For instance, getting permission to marry... That was still a massive hurdle waiting down the line.

But just as we had always done, we would overcome it.

One way or another. I was absolutely confident in that.

—How to Ruin a Romantic Comedy—

—Completed—